Deal on Nuke Between US-Russia, OK

 Nearly a year after President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered negotiators to work on a new treaty to reduce their nuclear arsenals, the two countries say they are finally close to completing a deal.
A deal — a small but important step toward Obama's goal of a nuclear arms-free world — could build momentum and trust toward resolving other key nuclear issues. They range from how to pressure Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear ambitions to reducing the number of tactical nuclear weapons that are so unpopular in Europe. It could also set a positive tone for a key conference on nuclear non-proliferation this spring.
On another level, it could bolster Obama's credibility overseas, which has been battered by the disappointing Copenhagen climate change conference, ongoing economic miseries, faltering Middle East peace efforts and growing skepticism about last year's Prague speech in which he promised to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
"It's important to show the Prague speech was not just rhetoric," Mark Fitzpatrick, senior fellow for non-proliferation at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, told The Associated Press.
An agreement would end a drought in disarmament accords between the United States and Russia, which were a hallmark of the Cold War years and were negotiated even during the worst periods of tension between them. It officially would reconfirm Moscow's nuclear superpower status, which remains an essential element of its national identity and prestige.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Wealthiest Nations Reminded By Thier Debt

 The International Monetary Fund warned the world's wealthiest nations Sunday to watch their surging levels of government debt, saying it could drag down the growth needed to ensure continued economic recovery.
The economic crisis is leaving "deep scars in fiscal balances, particularly in the advanced economies," John Lipsky, the IMF's No 2. official, told the China Development Forum in Beijing. He said that countries that have been going into debt to stimulate their economies should now prepare for belt-tightening steps next year.
"Policymakers should be making it clear to their citizens why a return to prudent policies is a necessary condition for sustained economic health," said Lipsky, who is the fund's deputy managing director, according to remarks prepared for the conference.
The IMF projects that gross general government debt in the G-7 advanced economies, except Germany and Canada, will rise from an average of about 75 percent of GDP at the end of 2007 to about 110 percent of GDP at end of 2014, Lipsky said.
This year, the average debt-to-GDP ratio in the wealthiest countries is projected to reach levels that prevailed in 1950 in the aftermath of World War II, Lipsky said. The ballooning of government debt also comes amid rising health and pension spending, he said.
"Addressing this fiscal challenge is a key near-term priority, as concerns about fiscal sustainability could undermine confidence in the economic recovery," Lipsky said, adding that in the medium term, large public debt could lead to higher interest rates and slower growth.
Countries should aggressively pursue reforms that will boost growth, such as the liberalization of goods and labor markets and the elimination of tax distortions, he said, though such moves on their own will be insufficient without direct measures to reduce spending.
They should also strengthen fiscal institutions in ways that could include improving tax collection and reinforcing fiscal responsibility legislation, while pursuing entitlement reforms, such as increasing the retirement age, to help in restoring finances, he said.
For the United States, Lipsky said a higher public savings rate will be required to ensure long-term fiscal sustainability.
"An increase in public saving would augment an expected rise in household saving to boost national saving and reduce the current account deficit," he said.
America's national debt — now $12.5 trillion — has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past decade, to the point where it threatens to swamp overall economic output. Roughly half of it is owned by global investors, with China holding the largest stake.
Japan's debt is proportionately even bigger — about twice its GDP — but the impact is cushioned by the fact that most is held by Japanese households.
In Europe and Japan, where there is already a high tax burden on labor, Lipsky said measures should focus on improving the targeting of social benefits and on reducing exemptions on indirect taxes.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Whistler Blower Wants 1.5 Billion Reward

A whistle-blower from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) is seeking a P1.5-billion reward if the bureau wins its case against Pilipinas Shell over alleged unpaid excise taxes worth P7.3 billion, official documents showed.
Geronimo Pinar, who has been a BOC informer for years, is apparently also the whistle-blower in a previous tax case involving Chevron, another oil firm.
Sources said Pinar is a retired military man. There are no details on what he did after serving the military.
Pinar’s name just cropped up when he informed the BOC of Chevron’s alleged tax liabilities.
It was learned that Pinar was reportedly instrumental in compelling Chevron to pay the BOC almost P1 billion.
Based on documents, Pinar filed his claim with Batangas Customs Collector Juan Tan on Jan. 21, 2009.
Then on Jan. 30, 2009, Tan issued a demand letter to Shell to pay up, echoing Pinar’s allegations that Shell’s “unleaded gasoline (catalytic cracked gasoline)” was covered by excise taxes.
Shell contested the assessment and said excise taxes apply only to finished products for local consumption.
It said its imports are raw materials that could not be used directly as fuel because they do not comply with the Clean Air Act and still need to be processed.
Also, if used as fuel, they could cause engine trouble, including knocking (katok) and fuel line corrosion, eventually resulting in a dangerous fuel leakage, Shell said.
Shell said it had to blend its CCG imports to come up with finished products such as premium unleaded gasoline.
At a House hearing, Tan admitted he based his decision to collect only upon looking at Shell’s import invoices that mentioned “unleaded gasoline (catalytic cracked gasoline).”
He said he did not bother to ask for laboratory or technical tests to find out if the imports are indeed raw materials or finished products, which he said was the task of customs examiners.
In 2003, the energy department, following tests, concluded that CCG was indeed a raw material that needed further processing to meet legal standards. This was the basis of Shell’s payment of taxes through the years until Tan stepped in.
He also insisted that Shell should pay the excise taxes for those years. Shell is contesting this, arguing it paid in good faith under a valid government regulation and that Tan’s stand is tantamount to a retroactive application of rules, which is not allowed under the law.
Shell had said the term “unleaded gasoline” is a generic name used globally that refers to various kinds of raw materials. This is why it qualified in parentheses the kind of raw material it was bringing in as “unleaded gasoline (catalytic cracked gasoline).”
Pending resolution whether the imports are raw materials or not, Shell is paying the same excise tax twice, upon importation and upon removal from the refinery of the finished products, resulting in double taxation.


David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Alice is Definitly in Wonderland

 Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" retained the box office lead for the third week running, pulling in $34.5 million for the weekend, industry figures showed Sunday.
Starring Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska, the live-action, 3-D version of Lewis Carroll's children's classic, has earned $265.7 million since its release, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations reported.
The surprise of the weekend was "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," 20th Century Fox's newly released live action adaptation of the Jeff Kinney cartoon novels, which came in second in the box office with $21.8 million.
That put it ahead of "Bounty Hunter," a comedy starring Jennifer Anniston and Gerard Butler, and the science fiction morality tale "Repo Men," which came in third and fourth at $21 million and $6.1 million respectively in their first week in theaters.
"She's Out of My League," in which a stunning woman and a dorky guy fall in love, slipped to fifth place from third last week, earning $6 million.
"Green Zone," an Iraq war film, took in $5.9 million, dropping to sixth place from second.
Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island" was in seventh place in its fifth week in theaters. It made $4.7 million.
"Avatar," the top grossing movie of all time, added another $4 million to the pile, bringing its North American box office total to $736.9 million. On its 14th week in theaters, it was the eighth top earner.
Behind it in ninth place was the interracial romantic comedy "Our Family Wedding," which earned $3.8 million, and in tenth romantic drama "Remember Me" at $1.5 million.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

China to restore emails

Authorities in China's Xinjiang have restored access to email services and 32 Internet sites that were blocked after ethnic unrest broke out in the region in July, state media reported Sunday.
Restrictions on the number of text messages a mobile phone user could send have also been lifted, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Authorities in the Xinjiang will restore communication services "step by step," Xinhua said, citing a spokesperson for the local government.
Internet and email services were cut following the outbreak of clashes between ethnic Han Chinese and mainly Muslim Uighurs, in which almost 200 people died and 1,600 were wounded.
The authorities accused Uighur organizers of using the Internet and mobile phones to orchestrate the unrest.
Twenty-six people were sentenced to death for their part in the rioting, which lasted several days after breaking out in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital. Some have already been executed.


David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Cockfight? A National Heritage

Cockfighting may soon be officially part of the country’s national cultural heritage, if a proposed measure in the House of Representatives is passed.

Rep. Rodolfo Plaza urged the National Commission for Culture and Arts and the National Historical Institute to declare cockfighting as part of the “intangible Philippine cultural heritage."

"Intangible cultural heritage includes practices, representations expressions and skills, as well as the objects, instruments and artifacts that communities, groups and individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage," Plaza said in an article posted Sunday on the House of Representatives Web site.

He noted cockfighting is a popular, traditional and customary form of recreation and entertainment among Filipinos. He said this can be seen especially during holidays, fiestas, fairs and other events.

Even Presidential Decree No. 449, or the Cockfighting Law, recognizes that cockfighting is a vehicle for the preservation and perpetuation of native Filipino heritage that enhances national identity, he said.

"Cockfighting should neither be exploited as an object of commercialism or business enterprise nor made a tool of uncontrolled gambling," the lawmaker stressed.

This is the reason why cockfighting must be "recognized and institutionalized as part of the national cultural heritage and must be promoted, protected and enhanced," Plaza said.

In August last year, a group of cockfighting aficionados called the Alyansa ng Sabungero (Alliance of Cockfighters) filed a petition for accreditation before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to be allowed to run in the May 10 elections as a party-list group.

In its petition, the group claimed that their purpose in seeking representation in Congress is to help poor workers in the cockfighting business.

The Comelec, however, rejected the petition.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Strike Heated at British Airways

A three-day strike by British Airways cabin crew affecting thousands of travelers began Saturday after last-ditch talks between the airline's management and union leaders collapsed.

The walkout has forced BA to cancel thousands of flights, but it still hopes to operate around 65 percent of its international schedule over the period.

The Unite union has gathered some support from unions in the United States, Germany and Spain for its action — taken to protest a pay freeze and changes to working conditions — but the other unions have so far stopped short of pledging direct action that would affect BA's ability to refuel and service its planes.

A total of 1,100 flights out of the 1,950 flights scheduled to operate during the walkout will be canceled, but the airline has leased planes and crew from rival carriers to take up some of the shortfall.

At its Heathrow base, more than 60 percent of long-haul flights will operate, but only 30 percent of short-haul. At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half the short-haul flights will run as normal.

"Tens of thousands of BA people stand ready to serve our customers," said BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh. "BA will be flying tomorrow."

Adam Huberman of Issta, a flight and tour agency specializing in trips to Israel, said he was taking 60 to 80 calls a day from passengers planning to travel to Israel before Passover, which starts March 30.

He said the strike couldn't have come at a worse time.

"It is the busiest time of the year," he said, adding that the agency had put on some flights of its own. "Some will be able to go but fares are obviously higher because it's so last minute."

Among others whose plans were affected were the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Band from Wales, who are scheduled to play in a wind band festival at Carnegie Hall in New York on Tuesday.

Their scheduled Saturday flight was one of the ones BA has canceled, but after television and radio appeals — and a letter to rival virgin Atlantic — BA managed to get them onto alternative planes.

Picket lines will be mounted over the weekend at several entrances to Heathrow, but Walsh said he had "no concern whatsoever" about the threat of solidarity actions in other countries.

The U.S. International Brotherhood of Teamsters urged travelers to find alternatives during the strike.

"We are keenly aware of British Airways' operations in the United States and the cities served by the airline," the Teamsters, who represent 40,000 workers in the aviation industry, said in a statement. "We continue to look at this situation as it evolves and are keeping our options open."

Walsh said it was "deeply regrettable" that the union declined to accept a proposal on pay and working conditions from the airline, adding that offer would be withdrawn once the strike begins.

Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley said that BA "does not want to negotiate and ultimately wants to go to war with this union."

The prospect of travel chaos in Britain in the run-up to the Easter break also intensified with news that railway signal workers voted in favor of a strike, joining rail maintenance workers. The Rail Maritime and Transport union has not called dates for a walkout of both groups of workers but has refused to rule out the Easter long weekend.

The prospective industrial unrest is an unwelcome turn of events for the ruling Labour Party on the eve of a national election.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for the strike to be called off immediately.

"The Prime Minister believes that this strike is in no one's interest and will cause unacceptable inconvenience to passengers," his office said in a statement.

"As the country struggles out of the recession, the last thing we need is the unions holding the country to ransom," said Theresa Villiers, the opposition Conservative Party's transport spokeswoman.

BA argues that the disputed changes — including a pay freeze in 2010, a switch to part-time work for 3,000 staff and a reduction in cabin crew sizes from 15 to 14 on long-haul flights from Heathrow airport — are critical for its survival. Unite argues it was not properly consulted on the changes.

BA said Friday it had offered to modify the changes, even though they had been approved by Britain's High Court, but Unite had declined to put the offer to its members to vote.

Analysts estimate that BA has already lost more than 25 million pounds because of canceled tickets and the cost of contingency plans, which include leasing fully crewed planes from other airlines.

Unite has a second, four-day walkout planned to begin March 27 and has said more strikes will be scheduled for after April 14 if the dispute is not resolved. It has pledged not to walk out over the busy Easter period.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Ginebra Open PBA with a Win

Awcee Storey conspired with a foul-troubled Mark Caguioa in the stretch run to steer Barangay Ginebra past Talk `N Text, 97-90, in Sunday’s main game of the KFC-PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The two made possible a telling 8-0 run by the Kings in the final five minutes that turned out to be the big difference in the nip-and-tuck game.

Caguioa had a basket and two free throws to spark off the scoring binge, later capping it by feeding Storey a perfect bounce pass off transition as Ginebra took the game’s biggest lead at 87-79 with three minutes remaining.
The Tropang Texters repeatedly threatened in the final minutes, cutting the deficit to just three, the last time at 93-90 on a Mac Cardona basket with 23 seconds left.

Storey finished with a game-high 33 points and 16 rebounds in his league debut, while Caguioa was the top local scorer with 19 markers, 17 coming in the second half despite playing with four fouls.

“I’ve been around the league for a long time, so I already know the stuff I had to do when I’m in such a situation (foul trouble)," said Caguioa at the end of Barangay Ginebra’s first meeting with Talk `N Text after their walkout-marred quarterfinal series in the last Philippine Cup.

Ronald Tubid added 16 points, including nine from three-point range, while JayJay Helterbrand had 11, including two free throws with 15 seconds left that clinched the win for the Kings, who joined Barako Coffee in the early lead of the season-ending conference.

Shawn Daniels had 19 points and 16 rebounds in playing for his first PBA team outside of Air21, while Cardona came through with 19.

Ranidel De Ocampo chipped in 14 points, but missed a desperation three-point attempt in the final 5 seconds after Jimmy Alapag also failed to connect from the same spot a few seconds earlier. 

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Volcano Erupts in Iceland

 Authorities evacuated hundreds of people after a volcano erupted beneath a glacier in southern Iceland, Iceland’s civil protection agency said on Sunday.

The eruption occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday (1930 EDT) beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, the fifth largest glacier in Iceland.The volcano is covered by an ice cap.

Fearing flooding from the glacier melt, authorities evacuated some 400 people in the area 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the capital, Reykjavik, as a precaution but no damage or injuries have been reported, said Vidir Reynisson, the department manager for the Icelandic Civil Protection Department.

A state of emergency has been declared in communities near the 100 square mile (160 kilometers) glacier.

"We do not at this moment know the full extent of the eruption but a team is flying over the site now to evaluate the situation," said Reynisson.

Three flights from the US — departing from Seattle, Washington; Orlando, Florida and Boston, Massachussetts — were diverted to Boston because of the volcano. All domestic flights were also canceled until further notice, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service Reported.

A European volcanic island in the North Atlantic, Iceland is largely an arctic desert with mountains, glaciers and volcanoes and agricultural areas in the lowlands close to the coastline.

The last time the volcano erupted was in the 1820s.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Pinoy Must Learn Spanish?

 The Spanish subject is set to make a comeback in schools soon.

Speaking at a news forum on Sunday, Jose Rodriguez, director of Instituto Cervantes, said the Spanish language would be included in the school curriculum of some selected public and private schools at the soonest possible time.

“The Spanish government through Instituto Cervantes has launched programs for teaching and relearning Spanish language among the Filipinos in the country," he said during the Balitaan sa Tinapayan news forum in Sampaloc, Manila.

He said the institution is presently giving Spanish language seminars to 100 teachers every year.

“Every year, 100 Spanish language teachers are undergoing seminars to become good instructors of Spanish language as they will be tapped to teach the language in selected public and private schools," he said.

Instituto Cervantes is a public institution created by Spain to promote and to teach the Spanish language and culture worldwide.

The undertaking is in accordance with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Memorandum Order No. 276, which directs the Department of Education (DepEd,) Commission on Higher Education (CHED,) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to encourage the teaching and learning of Spanish throughout the country.

The memorandum was signed in 2007. The support of the Spanish government in the teaching of the language will be implemented in two phases, from 2009-2010 to 2013-2014 school years.

Rodriguez said it would be good for the economy if many Filipinos know the Spanish language since it could lead to job offers in Spanish-speaking countries.

“It will open for more job opportunities for Filipinos who know the language. Many countries use Spanish as first language and the Filipinos who are learning Spanish can maximize this opportunity," he said.

At first, the language will be taught in 15 public and private high schools.

Spanish was an official language in the Philippines from the beginning of Spanish invasion in the 16th century until the change of Constitution in 1973.

David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Teacher to Boycott Election?

Militant teachers on Sunday threatened to boycott their election duties on May 10 if the government fails to work out a smooth system that will allow them to vote.

The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to prevent the possible disenfranchisement of thousands of teachers by allowing the reactivation of teachers who were already deactivated and the transfer of registration of those who are registered in places other than their respective work assignments.

The group also appealed to the Comelec to have a special registration for teachers who are not registered at all.

“We urge the Comelec to tackle and immediately resolve this matter, if not we may opt to call on our colleagues to refuse the poll assignments," said Benjo Basas, the TDC national chairperson.

Teachers serve as board of election inspectors (BEIs) during elections. The automation of the May 10 nationwide polls has reduced the required number of BEIs from 800,000 to only about 250,000.

According to the Comelec Resolution 8798 promulgated last March 16, teachers who will serve as BEIs have only 30 minutes to vote in their respective precincts. The resolution amended Section 12 of Comelec Resolution 8786, which states that a BEI's absence shall not be for more than 20 minutes.

The resolution said that BEIs can vote “provided that they do so when the voting in their respective places of assignment is light, and their absence shall not be for more than 30 minutes."

Basas said limited time had resulted to many teachers not being able to cast their votes in past elections, which eventually resulted to them being de-listed from the voters’ list. He said that because of this disenfranchisement, majority if not all teachers are not qualified to sit as members of the BEI.

Election laws automatically deactivate a voter who fails to cast his votes in two consecutive national elections.

Basas pointed out that several Comelec resolutions in the past had allowed teachers to cast their votes in the precincts where they are assigned, and had actually allotted three excess ballots specifically for them.

He, however, claimed that the votes were not recorded by the Comelec since the teachers voted in areas where they were not registered. This, he said, also resulted to disenfranchisement of many teachers.

“All teachers who have served the past elections have also cast their votes in the precincts where they are assigned as members of Board of Elections Inspector. The problem is, those votes are not reflected in the book of voters, but it’s not our fault, it’s the Comelec’s responsibility to record our votes," he said.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More

Sen. Angara wants New Senate President

The Senate would have to elect when sessions resume on May 31 a new leader whose term is not expiring on June 30 to ensure somebody will be in charge in case elections fail on May 10, Senator Edgardo J. Angara said on Sunday.

Angara, a former Senate president who still has to finish half of his six-year term until 2013, noted that the terms of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Prospero Nograles would all expire on June 30.

This means nobody would be at the country’s helm after that in case of an election failure, he told dzBB radio. “It’s an imperative for the survival of the republic," Angara, an administration ally, said of the election of a new Senate president.

Section 7, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution states that "where no President and Vice President shall have been chosen or shall have qualified, or where both shall have died or become permanently disabled, the President of the Senate or, in case of his inability, the [House Speaker], shall act as President until a President or a Vice President shall have been chosen and qualified."

"[If] we broke the succession line… there will be a vacancy, a political vacuum… There are suggestions that while the Senate is still whole, we should choose a new [Senate] president whose term does not end on June 30," Angara said.

The Omnibus Election Code provides that in case elections fail, the Commission on Elections, acting on a petition, must hold another set of polls not later than 30 days.

The senators whose terms will end this June 30 are Juan Ponce Enrile, Rodolfo Biazon, Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano, Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, Richard Gordon, Manuel "Lito" Lapid, Jamby Madrigal, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Ramon Bong Revilla, Manuel Roxas II, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Enrile, Cayetano, Estrada, Lapid, Pimentel, Revilla and Santiago are all seeking reelection, while Biazon is running for congressman. Gordon and Madrigal are running for President, while Roxas is running for Vice President.

Aside from Angara, those who still have three more years to serve are Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes IV, Manuel Villar Jr. and Miguel Zubiri.

Aquino and Villar are running for President, while Legarda is Villar’s running mate as Vice President. Trillanes has been detained while facing rebellion charges.

Last week, Malacañang floated the idea of a military takeover in case the country’s first nationwide automated polls fail. But it later backtracked amid allegations that a military junta’s purpose was to perpetuate President Arroyo in power. (See: Palace backtracks on possibility of military takeover)

Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Saludo said Mrs. Arroyo, who is running for Congress in Pampanga’s second district, would step down on June 30 and give way to her successor.

On her blog, journalist Ellen Tordesillas raised the suspicion that an election failure at the national level could benefit Mrs. Arroyo in case she wins in her district and is eventually named House Speaker — the fourth in the line of presidential succession.

Enrile vs Angara
On Sunday, Angara said he would not initiate the election of a new Senate president because he does not want to be accused of partisan politics by seeking to oust Enrile.

"My main point is that the business community, the academe, education and other religious leaders should initiate [this] because they are the ones affected. If we [senators] make the move, the public will say we are after our self-interests," Angara said.

Last January and February, talks were rife that the Senate minority bloc was attempting to oust Enrile in connection with his move to admonish Villar, whom he replaced as Senate president in 2008, over charges that the former businessman had unduly enriched himself and his realty companies over the C-5 Road extension project. The minority bloc was allegedly eyeing Angara as Enrile’s replacement.

Enrile came out with a Senate committee report seeking Villar’s censure over the road project mess, but the report did not get enough backing, with Villar’s allies boycotting the last Senate session.
David Mikael Taclino
Inyu Web Development and Design
Creative Writer

Read More